Carousel equipment of conventional design comprises a bed consisting of a single unit preassembled at the premises of the constructor and presenting a plurality of bays serving to accommodate respective carousels on which the containers are processed, that is to say, for example, sterilized, filled with a selected product and closed with a cap. Also mounted to the bed are devices for transferring the containers from one carousel to the next, as well as infeed and outfeed devices with relative motors, or a single motor, by which the containers are conveyed into and directed away from the train of carousels.
The prior art also embraces equipment wherein each carousel is equipped with a respective base frame housing the devices by which the single carousel is set in motion.
In equipment of this type, the carousels are linked one to another by transmission components such as will transfer motion from a single motor to the rotating shafts of the individual carousels.
Conventional units of the type outlined above are washed down periodically so as to remove any spills or splashes of the liquid or powder products with which the containers are filled. During the course of feeding and/or filling operations, in effect, part of the liquid or powder product can escape from the containers and drop onto the surfaces of the carousels.
At the end of a given production run, accordingly, nozzles are activated to direct a washing liquid onto the carousel, especially onto those areas where the spills or splashes are most heavily concentrated.
The washing process in question is a cause of major drawbacks however, due to the infiltration of liquid into the transmission components of the carousels.
In effect, infiltrations of liquid can damage the devices housed in the base frame, with the result that the drive lines to the respective carousels are caused to malfunction.
It will be appreciated also that the carousels are equipped with numerous electronic components easily damaged by contact with liquid products. For example, such electronic components are utilized in the rotary mechanisms by which caps or tops are screwed onto single containers, and in the weight-check devices installed and operating in the revolving stations of carousel filling units.
Another drawback derives from the fact that the washing liquid projected onto the equipment is not collected and carried away during the cleaning operation. Consequently, wet and damp patches form in the area around the equipment and on the flat surfaces of the single carousels, which can damage the products batched into the containers. In effect, an excessively damp environment can affect the properties of products batched into the containers, especially if these happen to be powders capable of absorbing water droplets.
Moreover, given the high speeds of rotation at which the carousels in question operate, any liquid left on the rotating surfaces following completion of the washing step is flung outwards, wetting the area around the equipment.
The object of the present invention is to provide equipment for processing containers filled with liquid or powder products, such as will be unaffected by the drawbacks mentioned above.
In particular, the object of the invention is to embody equipment for processing containers filled with liquid or powder products in such a way that washing operations will damage neither the equipment itself, nor the products batched into the containers.